UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov has recently revealed why January was not an option for his return despite initial reports.
The undefeated contender at 135-pounds has won six in a row inside the Octagon since debuting in 2021 as a highly touted prospect.
In August, he earned his biggest win to date by beating Cory Sandhagen in the main event in Abu Dhabi, living up to his potential as the cousin of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O'Malley at UFC 306 to become the new champion, it looked likely that his first challenger would be Nurmagomedov which was addressed in his post-fight interview at Sphere.
Dvalishvili didn't seem entirely sold on the idea at first which potentially opened up the opportunity for a rematch with Petr Yan instead after he defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in Macau with a fantastic performance.
There had since been reports that the UFC was targeting a fight between Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong for UFC 311 in January.
Yadong lost a unanimous decision to Yan last time out at UFC 299 in March following back-to-back wins.
The Russian has now clarified on social media that an arm injury stopped him from competing in California at the first PPV card of 2025.
"I had a small arm fracture and couldn't perform in January. My arm is fine now, and I'm open to any offers. Anyone, Anywhere!!"
It still remains unclear how the bantamweight title picture will play out in the coming months but with rematches against the likes of Yan and O'Malley also being options for Dvalishvili, there's no guarantee that Nurmagomedov will be next.
